Even in this age of cinema and TV spectaculars there is something special about a live theatre show. We keep an eye out for interesting events. When we spotted that Michael Sheen was appearing in a play called Our Town we grabbed tickets. The show was at the Rose Theatre in Kingston upon Thames which is a bit of a trek for us so we opted to get a hotel for the night.
We got the train there and it was an easy journey. We arrived around lunch time so got something to eat in one of the many restaurants along the river. There are lots of houseboats and we saw a rowing crew training.
The play is about a small American town starting in 1901 written by Thornton Wilder who won one of his three Pulitzer Prizes for it. The production is by the Welsh National Theatre that Michael Sheen sponsors. He plays the narrator as well as some other parts. You get to see the daily life of the town with focus on a couple of families whose children eventually marry. The second half turns darker with a focus on mortality that is quite emotional. It is staged with very little scenery, but the cast use planks and chairs to form buildings and other things around the action. It is all very well choreographed. I think the music is all pre-recorded, but it is very effective. We were seated right at the front so got close to the cast.
A lot of the cast were Welsh and they did it in their own accents. There were some Welsh hymns for the church scenes. I went in knowing very little about the play, but really enjoyed it. Some plays can be a bit static, but this was full of movement. Although you had a very well known actor taking centre stage all the cast were great.
In the interval I had a beer that is made for the theatre. The show did not finish very late so we stopped for some chips/fries on the way back to our hotel.
I am not sure if I had been to Kingston before. There are some nice areas in the centre and there are lots of artworks around there. Like anywhere in and around London property will be expensive. These places along the river with their own boathouses will cost millions.
Our journey back was via St. Pancras station. That area has seen major redevelopment in the last few years with companies like Google and Universal Music setting up offices there. We had a wander around Coal Drops Yard that is full of trendy shops and restaurants. You can see the old gas storage tanks that have been converted into apartments. It is a nice area with the canal running past, but is minutes away from central London.
The weather was a bit mixed with some rain and a cold wind, but those did not spoil our little trip.
